The present invention relates generally to the field of mobile telephone construction, and more specifically to an elastomeric enclosure for a mobile electronic device.
Mobile telephones are ubiquitous in modern societies. Once owned and carried only by the affluent or persons in specialized occupations that both required and supplied them, mobile phones are now owned by the many, and sometimes even by the majority of a given population. And no longer are mobile telephones used by only a small segment of the population, but rather now by people of all ages and walks of life.
There are several reasons for this widespread use of mobile phones. The first, foremost, of course, is technology. The development of a cellular system of organizing radio traffic has made possible the subscribing of thousands of customers in a single metropolitan area. Improved multiplexing and modulation techniques have contributed to the ability to handle vast numbers of customers. Coverage has improved as well; that is, the amount of geographic area in which a mobile-system subscriber is within range of a network antenna. At the same time, the cost of the mobile telephone itself and of a subscription to a mobile communications network have fallen and made mobile phone use affordable. Improved technology has also led to the development of ever-smaller and easier-to-use phones. As such improvements in technology often do, rising mobile-phone popularity led to increasingly large markets, which in turn encouraged further innovation.
Some of these improvements, however, present new challenges as well. The small telephones force designers to economize the size and weight of protective casing components. In other words, to satisfy consumer demands for small and lightweight phones, the instruments"" ability to absorb shock and resist deformation that might damage internal parts is compromised. In addition, mobile phones are increasingly being used in environments hostile to sophisticated electronic technology. Where in the past, a limited number of rather expensive phones having limited capabilities were mostly used by professionals, and then frequently from a fixed automobile installation. Other mobile phones were truly mobile, but carried about in the large protective cases necessary to carry them and their large batteries around. The small, lightweight, and relatively inexpensive phones of the present, however, are owned by customers from all walks of life, and with occupations or avocations that take them and their phone into industrial plants construction sites, and all manner of outdoor locations.
Yet the small, modern phones are often less, not more rugged, and at the same time less able to resist hazards like dust and dirt. Despite the availability of alternate materials, the enclosures for most modern mobile devices are constructed of a hard plastic material. In many ways, of course, hard plastic is well suited to this application. xe2x80x9cPlasticxe2x80x9d meaning thermoplastic-materials flow when heated to a certain temperature, and can therefore be molded into precise shapes that they retain when cooled. Non-metallic, they are relatively lightweight, non-conducting, and nonmagnetic, which recommends them for use in connection with portable electronic devices. xe2x80x9cHardxe2x80x9d plastic materials resist any deformation at normal operating temperatures (those that human operators will tolerate). That is, they cannot be significantly bent or stretched without experiencing, plastic (permanent) deformation or failure. They are strong enough, however, that a substantial force is required to bring such failure about. To make up for the enclosure""s lack of ability to absorb shock, a separate cover is sometimes used. While useful in some ways, such covers are often eschewed because they hinder the telephones convenient use and are inconvenient to carry and install.
Needed, then, is an improved design for enclosing the internal components of a mobile phone that is economical, ergonomic, and provides reasonable environmental protection while does not unduly increasing the size, weight, and ease of use of the device. The present invention provides just such an apparatus.
The present invention is directed to an improved enclosure for a mobile station, that is, a mobile phone or similar device. In one aspect, the enclosure includes a first cover that forms a recess for at least partially receiving the internal components of the mobile station. The first cover is preferably an elastomer or similar material, and stretches elastically when the internal components are installed. The first cover thus attempts to retain the internal components within the recess. A second cover may also be present to at least partially receive the internal components of the mobile station such that when installed, the first and second covers substantially enclose the internal components. Keys integrally formed with the first cover translate movement induced by user manipulation to corresponding switches on the enclosed internal-component assembly through extensions formed on or attached to the interior surface of the front cover. The enclosure may further include an outer band disposed outside of the first and second covers.
A more complete appreciation of the present invention and the scope thereof can be obtained from the accompanying drawings that are briefly summarized below, the following detailed description of the presently-preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the appended claims.